Coordinating communications between mobile and intermittently connecting network nodes, such as terrestrial and satellite based transceivers, is a challenging problem. Such nodes generally require an unobstructed spatial path or “line-of-sight” for reliable signal transfer. The availability of a direct messaging link between any two network nodes may therefore be limited by the position and velocity of the nodes over time. For example, when a satellite in low earth orbit (LEO) is in view of a ground station or another spacecraft then direct communications may be possible, but when the nodes are obstructed by the earth then direct communications may not be possible. Further, the relative closing velocity of the two nodes will cause a Doppler frequency shift in the transferred signals, and the network hardware may have a limited frequency shift tolerance. Contact graph routing (CGR) techniques have been developed for managing messaging in spite of network delays or disruptions, by relaying data through intermediate nodes. Generation of contact graphs that accurately predict node availability may enable optimum application of such techniques to intermittently connecting mobile network nodes.